Toy electric train control system



Jan. .23., 1962 R. L. BRUNDAGE TOY ELECTRIC TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM Filed April 11. 1960 TRANSFORMERS FIG. 1

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FIG. 3 l

INVENTOR. RAYMOND L. BRUNDAGE ATTY.

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My invention relates in general to a toy electric train control system, and more specifically to an arrangement for controlling the motor circuits of a toy train locomotive to effectively switch the motor circuit so that the motor may be controlled from the center rail and either ones of the running rails and so that different locomotives may be controlled from the two running rails and the center rail.

This system is especially adapted for use with those systems which are at present perhaps more in use by European manufacturers where all three rails are insulated and which use one outer rail and the center rail to power one or more locomotives while the center rail and the other outer rail are used to supply power to one or more other locomotives.

In this system one transformer or control box will be used to control one set of locomotives and another to control the other Set. In this type of system it will be seen that when a loop is provided to turn the train or locomotive and cause it to travel in the opposite direction, then an insulated section must he provided and the rails reversed beyond that insulated section, to prevent one outer rail from meeting the other outer rail at the end of the loop. As the train passes this insulated section the circuits of the motor on the locomotive must be reversed and switched to the other wheels of the truck.

In order to switch the motor circuits from one outer rail to the other as the train passes over the insulated section I have provided a sliding cam on each truck of the locomotive which is caused to engage a cam operating surface alongside the track, as the truck moves over the section, to switch the circuits automatically as will be described.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated one form of the invention and it will be understood that various modifications may be made in the specific embodiments shown without departing from the spirit of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a section of track with a right left and center rail, a pair of control transformers and with a loop of track having an insulated section as described.

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit of the motor and operating parts of one locomotive showing how the circuits are switched over by the cam action.

FIG. 3 is a top view of one of the trucks of a locomotive showing somewhat schematically the relation of the cam shaft to the wheel mountings.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the cam shaft with its contacts and the wiper engaged by such contacts.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown in FIG. 1 a track section of the type described in which all trains are normally assumed to be moving in the direction of the arrows around the main track and certain locomotives have one side of their motors normally connected via their right trucks to the right rail and the other side to the center rail via a center rail pick-up and are therefore controlled by transformer 1. Other locomotives have one dfil'lfi Patented Jan. 23, 1962 side of their motors normally connected to the left trucks and therefore to the left rail with the other side connected to the center rail pick-up and are therefore controlled only by transformer 2. I have also shown the crossover section leading from point X to point Z with the insulated section Y between these points. Points X and Z may be movable switches if desired. It will be seen that unless the insulated section Y is provided with the rails reversed beyond Y, then the rail R would meet rail L at point Z, and a locomotive controlled via rail R and transformer 1 could no longer be so controlled.

It will also be seen that when a locomotive with its motor connected between rail R and the center rail,

reaches the insulated section Y when routed around the loop formed by this crossover, that means must be provided to switch the motor circuit over to the left trucks so that it can continue to be controlled over rail R and transformer 1.

Referring now to FIG. 2, I will describe the connections of the motor M of a representative locomotive to the various elements which are all shown in more or less diagrammatic form. In this figure I have indicated the front of the locomotive by means of an arrow and I show the right front wheels of the front truck at RF and the left front wheels at LF. I have also shown the center rail pick-ups, one at the front truck and one at the rear truck, although one only may be used. The center pickups are shown connected to one side of motor M. I have also shown the two sliding cams 3 and 4 with contacts 5 and 6 on cam 3 and contacts 7 and 8 on cam 4. Mounted on the locomotive frame above cam 3 is a wiper 9 having sliding contact with contacts 5 and 6 as the cam 3 is moved from right to left. There is a similar wiper It) mounted above the cam 4 and engaging contacts 7 and 8. The arrangement of wiper 9 and cam contacts 5 and 6 is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 2 Ihave also shown a double pole switch 11 which is shown in its upper position normally connecting contact 5 through the upper arm of switch 11 to the two LF wheels of the front truck, and connecting contact 6 normally through the lower switch arm and to RF wheels of the front truck. A similar switch 12 is provided on the rear truck normally connecting contact 7 to the left rear wheels LR of the rear truck and connecting contact 8 to the RR wheels. It will thus be seen that while the one side of motor M is connected to the center rail pick-up, the other side is connected through wiper 9 and contact 6 to the right front wheels and through wiper 1t] and contact 8 to the right rear wheels and therefore when this locomotive is placed on the track of FIG. I faced in the direction of the arrows, it will be controlled by transformer 1 over the center and right rails.

If it is desired to convert the locomotive of FIG. 2 for normal control over the left and center tracks by means of transformer 2, then switches 11 and 12 would be moved downward in FIG. 2, so that contact 6 would be connected over switch 11 and contact 13 to the LF wheels and contact 5 would be connected to RF wheels. Also switch 12 would also be switched over to connect contact 7 to RR wheels and contact 8 to LR wheels. The cam slide bars 3 and 4 are shown in thier normal position with the upper ends in this figure projecting out beyond the wheels to the right side of the train.

In FIG. 3 I have shown one manner in which the cam a slide 3 is mounted on a front truck. The axles of all trucks are of insulation and the side bars 14 and 15 are also of insulation with metallic bearing caps such as 16 for each wheel, to which the wires are connected as shown. The cam slide 3 is shown in its extreme right hand normal position with the portion 3a projecting out from the right side of the locomotive in the path of a cam operating surface such as 17 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 1 it will be seen that as a locomotive, wired as shown in FIG. 2, moves along the track under control of transformer =1 and if it is diverted onto the crossover at point X, then when the front trucks reach the insulated section Y, all power is derived only from the rear trucks. Now just before the front trucks pass on over the insulated section Y the projecting end 3a of slide cam 3 is engaged by the cam surface 17 and the cam 3 is moved inward to bring the contact 5 under wiper 9 so that the motor circuit is now connected through contact 5 and switch 11 to the left front wheels LP of the front truck and that as the truck passes on over the rails toward point Z the motor is connected through the left front wheels to rail R.

The same operation occurs on cam surface 4a just as the rear truck wheels leave the insulated section Y. After leaving section Y and moving toward point Z and beyond the locomotive will continue to be controlled by transformer 1 over rail R with the circuit including the left hand wheels of both trucks.

Now should the locomotive be backed from point Z over section Y when the cams 3 and 4 have been operated and the ends of 3 and 4 are projecting out at the left side of the locomotive instead of the right side, then the cam surface 18 will be effective to first move the cam 4 back to the position shown in FIG. 2, just as the rear truck moves from the insulated section Y onto the track leading to point X. The cam '3 will then also be moved by cam surface 18 as the train is backed further toward point X and the circuits will be restored to the conditions shown in FIG. 2.

It will be seen that if the locomotive being controlled is one in which the switches 11 and 12 have been operated to their opposite positions and the motor is therefore being controlled by transformer 2 over the center and left rails through wheels LF and LR, then a similar operation will occur as the train passes point Y, namely cams 3 and 4 will be operated just as the corresponding trucks leave the insulated section and will switch the control to the right hand wheels for control over the rail L.

It will be seen that the switches 11 and 12 may be both operated by one control to set the locomotive for control over either rail, and that sliding cams 3 and 4 may be of any desired type such as a rotary flip switch operated by engaging a fixed pin in place of cam surfaces 17 and 18.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel switching arrangement for switching the circuit of a locomotive motor from one track rail to the other as the locomotive passes a switching point on the track, so that the control of the motor may be switched from one track rail to the other automatically as the train passes a certain point.

Having fully described and ascertained the features and aspects of my invention, What I consider to be new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent will be pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A toy electric train system having a loop of track wherein the outer track rail and the center rail are included in a circuit with one transformer to control the same, and the inner track rail and the center rail are included in a second circuit with a second transformer to control said second circuit, a locomotive having the usual motor and means for completing the circuit of the motor to the wheels so that the same may be controlled over either track circuit, a cross over track extending from one side of the loop to the other with means for routing a locomotive over said cross over in such a manner that it will run forward in an opposite direction in the loop, an insulated section in both outer rails of said cross over track, together with means located adjacent said section for automatically switching the motor circuit of the locomotive to the opposite wheels of the locomotive so that the motor will be controlled by the same transformer after it passes over the section and as it moves along the loop in said opposite direction.

2. A toy electric train system as claimed in claim 1, in which said means is arranged to automatically switch over the motor circuit to the opopsite rail when the locomotive moves either backward or forward over said section.

3. The combination with toy electric train locomotives, of a track loop therefor having a cross over section over which the locomotives may be routed to reverse their direction of motion around said loop, said track having a circuit including one track rail and a center rail and a second circuit including the other track rail and the center rail, with a transformer controlling each circuit separately to operate two locomotives at once over the track, each locomotive having a motor, and means for switching the motor from one circuit to the other, said cross over section having an insulated section with means on the trackside adjacent said section for operating the switching means on each locomotive as it passes over said insulated section to thereby switch the motor to the opposite track rail so that the motor continues to be controlled by the same transformer after it passes said section and as it moves over the loop in said reversed direction.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3, in which there is a trackside element on either side of said insulated section effective to operate said switching means to switch over the motor as it passes over said section in one direction and to switch it back as the locomotive moves backward over said section.

5. In a toy electric train system, the combination of a locomotive having a motor with a loop of track therefor having a circuit including the outer rail and the center rail and a second circuit including the inner rail and the center rail, and an operating element for switching the motor from one circuit to the other, a cross over track for the loop over which the locomotive may be routed to reverse its direction of movement around the loop, an insulated section in said cross over track, the right hand rail and the center rail on one side of said section included in the track circuit with the outer rail and the center rail of the loop, the left hand rail and the center rail on the other side of said section included in the circuit of the outer and center rails of the loop, together with means alongside said section controlling said operating element to switch the motor control from the right and center rail to the left and center rail as it passes the section and for again operating said element to switch the motor control back over to the circuit including the right and center rail as the locomotive is backed up over said insulated section.

6. A toy electric train system comprising a track loop having center and running rails, with the outer and center rails included in one control circuit and with the inner and center rails included in another control circuit, a locomotive having its front and back trucks insulated from each other and its left and right wheels insulated from each other and having a motor with two switching ele ments controlling the circuit thereof, said motor normally connected in circuit with a center rail pickup and the left wheels of both trucks, a crossover track extending from one side of the loop to the other in such a manner that a locomotive routed thereover is passed in reverse direction around the loop after leaving the loop crossover, an insulated section in the crossover dividing the control circuits on either side thereof, and a trackside element adjacent said section effective to operate one switching element to switch the motor circuit from the left to the right wheels of the front truck as the locomotive passes said section, and effective to then operate the other switching element to switch the motor circuit from the 'left to the right Wheels of the rear truck. 5

7. A toy train system as claimed in claim 6, also having a second tracks-ide element on the other side of said section, effective to successively restore said switching elements to normal as the locomotive is passed in reverse direction over said section, to thereby maintain said 10 motor always under control of the same control circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hurley Oct. 3, 1911 Gerlach Mar. 18, 1919 Howe July 1, 1919 Brown et a1. July 7, 1931 Horn Apr. 26, 1938 Short et a1. Aug. 10. 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 30, 1937 

